-(Floristic and phytosociology of shrub and arboreous strata of a remain "cerradão" in a conservation area of São Paulo State). In this work were allocated 25 permanent plots of 10 m × 25 m and measured the vegetation with diameter of at least one cm at the base. In an area of 0.625 ha were sampled 8,454 ind.ha -1 , 121 species, 74 genera and 42 families. The species with higher IVI were Ocotea corymbosa (Meissn.) Mez, Pterodon pubescens Benth., and Xylopia aromatica (Lam.) Mart. The high values of PSoR and IVIA reveal that O. corymbosa e P. pubescens are stand in the entire three community strata, although these species are more common on the superior stratum. The Shannon's index show high floristic diversity (H' = 3.47 nat.ind. -1 ) and the equitability index (J' = 0.40) show dominance of P. pubescens and O. corymbosa in the area. The diameter and height distributions reveal the abundance in the natural regeneration component due the great stock of young plants that compose the inferior stratum of the community. In the 114 species considerate in the phytosociological analysis, 20 could be considerate rare due the few density of individuals per hectare. The floristic survey characterized the phytophisiognomy of the area like a "cerradão". The basis of vertical phytosociological parameters permitted give value to the species with PSoR and IVIA, associating the horizontal phytosociological structure with the heterogeneity and irregularity of the stratum of this "cerradão" area. Dentre as 114 espécies consideradas na análise fitossociológica, 20 podem ser classificadas como raras por apresentarem baixa densidade de indivíduos por hectare. O levantamento florístico caracterizou a fitofisionomia da área como cerradão. A estimativa dos parâmetros fitossociológicos verticais permitiu valorar as espécies através da PSoR e do IVIA, associando a estrutura fitossociológica horizontal com a heterogeneidade e irregularidade dos estratos do cerradão da área do Oitocentos Alqueires.Palavras-chave -cerradão, florística, fitossociologia, vegetação arbustiva e arbórea

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The clearing of native vegetation in water source areas and its effects on water supply availability have become a major concern in large metropolises. This study examined the spatial and temporal changes in land use and cover and their effects on the conservation of Atlantic Forest in a water source area in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo that is the second most densely populated territory in Brazil, the municipality of Diadema. Historical maps and trend scenarios were developed by applying the Markov chain in association with cellular automata. Forest conservation was assessed based on a set of landscape metrics of resource availability, fragment isolation, and trends of forest fragmentation. Our findings revealed an increase in urban growth of 37% in the last five decades directly associated to the clearing of 50% of forests in intermediate/advanced stages and 40% in early stages. The main drivers of landscape change were human-modified fields (41%) and net roads (54%). Optimal resource availability was drastically reduced (75%) while isolation increased (361.5%) among existing forest fragments. Therefore, future trends indicate that, without changes in the management of the area, deforestation may occur rapidly and continuously until 10% of forest remains, leading to potential adverse effects on water availability and quality of the Billings Reservoir and the local biodiversity.

Landscape connectivity can be assessed based on the physical connection (structural connectivity) or the maintenance of flow among habitats depending on the species (functional connectivity). The lack of empirical data on the dispersal capacity of species can lead to the use of simple structural measures. Comparisons between these approaches can improve decision-making processes for the conservation or restoration of habitats in fragmented landscapes, such as the Cerrado biome. This study aimed to understand the correspondence between the measures of landscape structural and functional connectivity for Cerrado plants. Three landscapes with cerradão patches in a pasture matrix were selected for the application of these metrics based on the functional connectivity of four profiles of plant dispersal capacity. The results showed divergent interpretations between the measures of landscape structural and functional connectivity, indicating that the assessment of biodiversity conservation and landscape connectivity is dependent on the set of metrics chosen. Structurally, the studied landscapes had the same number of cerradão patches but varied in optimal resource availability, isolation, heterogeneity, and aggregation. Functional connectivity was low for all profiles (based on the integral index of connectivity—IIC) and null for species with a low dispersal capacity (based on the connectance index—CONNECT), indicating that species with a medium- to long-distance dispersal capacity may be less affected by the history of losses and fragmentation of the Cerrado in the pasture matrix. The functional connectivity metrics used allowed a more robust analysis and, apparently, better reflected reality, but the lack of empirical data on dispersal capacity and the difficulty in choosing an indicator organism can limit their use in the management and planning of conservation and restoration areas.